Nikon F100 versus Nikon D600 or film vs. digital
Since I've started my love affair with photography I purchased a lot of cameras yet I am not a gear geek. My first proper camera was handmade matchbox pinhole camera. This is how it all started. When I wanted more control over my pictures I got a canon rangefinder from e bay. After a while my rangefinder wasn't enough and I got a Nikon FE (thanks to Ken Rockwell) than a second hand Nikon F90x and finally my personal film apex a Nikon F100 (new!). Every time I got a new body (I still have all my full frame lenses) it was because I felt the camera was starting to "weigh me down". Metering, view finder, shutter speed, auto focus to name a few. I am lucky I learned photography this way - it made me think. It also taught my one thing - camera is just a tool. I love my Nikon FE: it's solid, heavy, beautifully designed, black and takes awesome pictures but I don't use it anymore. I've got gear that delivers more and faster. I love photography more than cameras. So after a year with Nikon F100 I started to feel that it's time for a better tool and I got a Nikon D600 a week ago. As much as I love the film it was time to change. I wanted to shoot more and see my photos quicker, I wanted more freedom and flexibility.
Well, Since I got it I spent around 5 hours on street photography in Fremantle. The camera delivers. Before I started using it I set it up the way I like it. I had a similar set up on Nikon F100. Basically I have got two custom menu settings on my D600. One is for portraits and still scenes and the other for street photography (fast moving objects). Main difference lies in auto focus setting and shutter speed. Portrait mode: single servo auto focus, changeable focus sensors, no "motor drive". Street mode: continuous auto focus, camera picks sensors on it's own, minimum shutter speed 1/500 s, auto ISO, motor drive on set to 5 fps. I've got auto focus set for AE-L/AF-L button so one finger operates shutter other auto focus. This way I can recompose any time I want without messing the focus or taking accidental picture (more of an issue with film).
It's easy to switch between modes depending on the situation (4 different Nikon D600 set up guides are available here). After this 5 hours I am amazed by D600 capabilities and pictures I am taking :)
12/09/2013 update: I still love my D600 :) My settings are basically the same but I've made some small changes. I micro adjusted auto focus for all my lenses, shoot RAW so I have more leeway when I edit my photos (white balance, blown highlights etc), use two high capacity and speed memory cards, adjusted minimum shutter speed for my U1 portrait setting to 1/80 s and restricted auto ISO range to 100-1200. It also automatically goes to f2.8 when I switch to it. U2 has a wider ISO range now than the default 100-6400 with min shutter speed of 1/250 s which is enough for most situations. Its default f setting now is Capa's f8. I assigned photo review to the Fn button at the front which allows me to quickly check the histogram using one hand only. Things I wish D600 had are: 100% photo review with just one click of a button to check sharpness (portraits mainly) - as it is now I need to press zoom-in button 4 or 6 times, more autofocus points so I don't have to recompose when taking portrait shots with very shallow depth of field and more programmable U settings. It's still a great camera though. Oh, yes - I taped it all up so all the white Nikon logos are invisible , as well as the ports that I don't use but will gather dust with time.
My D600 work can be seen in the Blog section - all recent photos were shot with it. Some of my street portraits shot with Nikon F 100 are here